BMW races to record sales in 2012

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German top-of-the-range carmaker BMW sold a record 1.8 million vehicles in 2012, chief financial officer Friedrich Eichiner said in a newspaper interview Thursday.

"One of our goals for 2012 was to increase unit sales and achieve a new deliveries record. With 1.8 million vehicles, we've done that," Eichiner told the Die Welt daily.

Earlier this month, Eichiner had said that BMW was "on target" for reaching a new sales record following buoyant sales in November, when the firm's worldwide sales rose by about 20 percent to more than 170,000 vehicles.

In the 11 months to November, vehicle sales so far this year reached about 1.66 million, an increase of some 10 percent compared with the same period last year.

The carmaker's aim was to lift sales again next year, Eichiner told Die Welt.

"The big question is whether the markets will allow it," he said, cautioning that BMW would see "stagnation at best" in Europe.

"The United States, on the other hand, will offer recovery opportunities, with the overall market there projected to grow by 5.0 percent and the premium segment even stronger," Eichiner said.

"In addition, we've built up a strong position in medium-sized markets such as Australia, Russia, Korea and Turkey. And these markets are continuing to grow," he said.